


I Listened (As If In a Dream)

by agrajag



Series: I Will Go Down with My Friends [1]
Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-09
Updated: 2017-08-09
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:23:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11757849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: "You're, like, really smart, huh?"Oh God. The kid probably wanted help with his English homework."I mean, I like to read. That doesn't mean I like interpreting books."Ernest sighed and finally picked up his fork. "Whatever, man. This ain't class. Like, I'm making conversation, right? Like, that thing you pulled in the basement? That was a smart joke.""Yeah, I guess."





	I Listened (As If In a Dream)

**Author's Note:**

> get ready for overuse of the word cool (because that's how teenage boys talk these days, right?)

It was the friendship no one had expected, to say the least. Sure, all the parents in the neighborhood, specifically the cul-de-sac, expected all the kids to be friendly. They knew, however, that just because they all lived close by didn't mean they'd be best friends forever. That especially went for Lucien considering he was several years older than everyone else. (Well, until Amanda moved in. And yet, she seemed to get along with everyone swimmingly.) So, Lucien was nice enough to the other kids, but they definitely didn't hang out. 

Not that he was one of those teenagers who looked down on the younger kids for simply being younger. It's just that they didn't seem to understand his sense of humor. Neither did the adults, though, which is why he was just as indifferent to them.

That was how it all started, actually.

A joke Ernest didn't get.

Lucien hadn't expected Ernest to ever talk to him again after the "failed attempt" to brick him up, but a couple days later at lunch, Ernest dropped his tray on Lucien's table causing his salad to spill everywhere. He didn't make any move to eat, his hands firmly planted in his hoodie's pockets, and he glared at Lucien.

"Did you... need something?" Lucien asked as he briefly peered up from his phone.

"You're, like, really smart, huh?"

Oh God. The kid probably wanted help with his English homework.

"I mean, I like to read. That doesn't mean I like interpreting books."

Ernest sighed and finally picked up his fork. "Whatever, man. This ain't class. Like, I'm making conversation, right? Like, that thing you pulled in the basement? That was a smart joke."

"Yeah, I guess," Lucien said with a quick laugh. He set his phone down and turned to give Ernest his full attention.

"That's pretty cool, man. I wish I could get into books. My dad would be happy if I could."

"Oh yeah? My dad loves reading, too. That's how I got into it."

Ernest smiled, almost wistfully. "Nice, nice. I, uh, like movies, though. I looked up that Poe guy and there's a buncha movies based on his stuff. I, uh, don't normally do horror, but I thought maybe we could... y'know." Ernest shrugged and tried to look nonchalant. "Watch one? Together?"

"Yeah, that's be cool. How about Friday night?"

"Cool, yeah. Cool." Ernest let the conversation trail off then, shoving a bunch of lettuce into his mouth.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

It turned out Ernest was even worse than Lucien's dad with horror movies. It wasn't anything super scary. Sure, House of Usher _was_ a classic, and there _was_ something inadvertently creepy about Vincent Price's voice, but it felt like Ernest was going to squeeze Lucien's hand off.

"Man, you weren't kidding when you said you don't do horror," Lucien said.

"Yeah, sorry," Ernest said sheepishly as he let go of Lucien's hand. His fingers were bright red.

"You don't have to apologize, man, Just give my hand a little breather, and then it's all good."

Ernest looked over at Lucien quickly before turning back to the television. "You... you don't mind?"

"Nah, it's cool."

"Yeah... cool."

Ernest jumped again and Lucien decided it would be best to distract him.

"So what kind of movies _do_ you like?"

"You have to promise not to laugh," Ernest said sternly. Lucien held his uninjured hand over his heart, so Ernest continued. "I like romance."

"Oh, me too. I read..." Lucien realized saying he read doujin from his dad's library which then led to finding fanfiction online didn't exactly match up with Ernest's definition with romance. (Though he assumed regular romance novels were pretty similar. Just more... straight.) He must be blushing so hard, he realized. He cleared his throat and said, "I read... it. Yeah."

Ernest smiled. "Nice! I usually can only convince the guys in my grade to go to romance movies with me if I say it's ironic or whatever. They'd probably say I was gay if I ever admitted I actually like it. Which, like, liking romance as a guy means nothing. I'm not gay because I like it and I don't like romance because I'm gay, you know? Though I'm not, like, entirely sure. I am gay, I mean."

Lucien thread his fingers with Ernest's once more and gave a light squeeze. "That's alright. You don't have to know that yet. It took me awhile to really figure it out, too. Mostly because I kept thinking I was just trying to be like my dad, you know?"

"You guys are pretty similar. That's awesome, though." Ernest sighed. "You must get along really well."

"Well, sure, but you know it's okay to not always see eye-to-eye with your parents, right?"

"I guess." Ernest jumped again, and Lucien braced for the imminent hand squishing. After a moment, Ernest continued. "I guess it's gonna take me awhile to figure that out too."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

So, yeah, the unexpected friendship of the cul-de-sac.

Ernest would come over nearly every Friday and they'd watch movies. Any time there was a community event, like one of Mr. Christensen's dances or a backyard party, the two would eventually find each other and spend the night basically inseparable. Ernest's dad seemed happy that he'd made a friend he could be himself around, and Ernest told Lucien one day that it was improving their relationship.

"Yeah, it's pretty cool to actually talk to him when he isn't scolding me," Ernest said as Rose and Jack danced on the screen. "Though he still is cryptic as hell half the time. Yesterday he told me to be careful with my heart because I'm a hopeless romantic like him. Like, what does that mean?"

Lucien looked down at their entwined hands. The hand holding had become part of movie night ever since that first time. He knew, of course, there was nothing wrong with friends holding hands, but he could see why Mr. Vega was worried.

"Eh, who knows, man? Dads are weird sometimes."

A muffled "I resent that" came from Lucien's dad where he was holed up in the library in order to grant his son and friend privacy. Lucien and Ernest burst out laughing. They quieted down and watched the movie sans commentary after that. As the sinking of the Titanic drew nearer, Ernest leaned against Lucien, pulling his legs up underneath himself, and rested his head on Lucien's shoulder.

"I mean, I _do_ see why people wonder," Ernest said. It was so quiet, Lucien almost didn't catch it.

"About the door? Because, dude, they both totally could fit on it. It's bogus."

Ernest chuckled. "No, not that. Though... true. But I meant, uh, about... us."

"Oh," Lucien said, no more than a breath.

"And, like, I think I might have a bit of a crush on you? Maybe." Ernest started picking at a thread on his sleeve. "But, I'm like too young to worry about dating yet. Like, I definitely know I'm not ready. But I'm happy being your friend."

Lucien realized he was tearing up, and he wasn't sure why. He was glad Ernest was able to express his emotions when they first started hanging out, he'd have said some little off hand comment and then moved on. (He was more like his dad than he thought, considering how cryptic they both could be.) Lucien tried to not sound choked up when he said, "I'm happy being your friend, too."

"Good, because you're stuck with me now."

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ernest wasn't sleeping over that night since he and his dad had plans the next morning, so after the movie he walked home. Lucien went to get ready for bed and noticed his dead standing in the bathroom doorway while he was brushing his teeth.

He spit out the toothpaste in the sink and turned to him. "Yeah?"

"Son, I just wanted to tell you... I'm so proud of you."

"Uh... thanks Dad," Lucien said, eyeing him. "...why... though?"

His dad laughed. "I'm just... proud of the young man you've become." He swept in and gave Lucien a hug.

Lucien smiled. "Well, thanks Dad."

"And for the record, I'm very glad you and Ernest are friends as well."

"That's... great... Dad. You can definitely let go now," Lucien said as he tried to wiggle out of the hug. "I need to finish getting ready for bed."

"Oh, but of course," his dad said and immediately stepped back. "I will let you attend to your nightly routine. Good night, Lucien."

"Night Dad."

Lucien finished up and finally crawled into bed. It was an early night for him on a Friday, but he found himself drifting off in almost no time. The last thing he remembered thinking before he fell asleep was, his friendship with Ernest was one thing he wasn't embarrassed that his dad approved of.

**Author's Note:**

> obviously damien didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he's so proud of his son for being such a good friend to ernest, he couldn't help himself!!!!!
> 
> title is taken from the fall of the house of usher by edgar allen poe


End file.
